Mission Statement

The Mission and Slogan of the Northville District Library

Our MissionThe Northville District Library offers our community the means to discover, learn, grow, and enjoy life. We provide and promote resources and connections to the world of knowledge and imagination.

Connecting you toIdeas, Information & Imagination!

Approved by the Board of Trustees September 22, 2005

Board of Trustees By-Laws

NORTHVILLE DISTRICT LIBRARYBOARD OF TRUSTEESBY-LAWS

ARTICLE IGENERAL PROVISIONS

Section 1. Name This organization shall be called the Northville District Library.

Section 2. Purpose of Bylaws The purpose of these bylaws is to set forth the internal rules, which govern the operations and business of the Northville District Library Board of Trustees.

Section 3. Functions of the Board of Trustees The Board of Trustees may exercise any and all of the powers granted to it in the District Library Act. Among the Board of Trustees major responsibilities are hiring and evaluating the Library Director; approval of the budget; approval of building plans and construction contracts; and establishing policy. The Board of Trustees will delegate all administrative functions to the Library Director. These functions include the hiring, evaluating, and supervising of other library staff; preparing the budget; overseeing the selection and purchase of library materials; preparing procedures for implementing library policies; preparing library programs; and managing the day-to-day operation of the library.

ARTICLE IIBOARD OF TRUSTEES MEMBERS

Section 1. Election of Board of Trustees Members In accordance with Public Act 24 of 1989 (the "District Library Act") the Board of Trustees of the Northville District Library (the "Board") shall consist of seven (7) members elected at large from the District in accordance with the District Library Act.

Section 2. Board of Trustees Position Vacancies Vacancies shall arise in the event of the resignation, removal, death, imprisonment of a member, in the event a member has moved outside the District, or has been declared by a court of law to be mentally incompetent. Board of Trustees member vacancies shall be filled within forty-five (45) days from the effective date of a resignation or other event which causes a vacancy to exist.

The vacancy shall be filled with a legally qualified person who is appointed by a majority vote of the remaining members of the Board of Trustees at a regular or special meeting of the Board of Trustees. That person shall not be an immediate family member of a current trustee or current employee of the Northville District Library. Immediate family member is defined as a spouse, civil union partner, domestic partner, or the parent, child, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, grandparent, grandchild, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, stepparent, stepchild, stepbrother, stepsister, half-brother or half-sister, of the individual or of the individual’s spouse, civil union partner or domestic partner, by blood, marriage, or adoption. The appointee shall hold office until the next general election.

Section 3. Board of Trustees Officers Officers of the Board of Trustees shall be Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer.

Section 4. Election of Board of Trustees Officers The Officers shall be elected for a term of one year at the first meeting of the Board of Trustees each calendar year.

Section 5. Board of Trustees Officer Vacancies Vacancies in office shall be filled by the Board of Trustees at the next regular meeting of the Board of Trustees following the occurrence of a vacancy, except for the office of Chair, in which case the Vice-Chair shall assume the duties of the office for the unexpired term. A successor for the Vice-Chair shall be elected to fill the vacancy so created in that office.

Section 6. Duties of Officers

a) Duties of the Chair The Chair shall preside at all meetings, appoint committees, authorize calls for any special meetings, and generally perform the duties of a presiding officer.

b) Duties of the Vice-Chair In the absence of the Chair, the Vice-Chair shall perform the duties of the Chair. In the case of the resignation, disability, or death of the Chair, the Vice-Chair shall assume the office for the unexpired term.

c) Duties of the Secretary The Secretary of the Board of Trustees shall see that a true and accurate account of all proceedings of the Board of Trustees meetings is kept. In compliance with any requirements of state law regarding the holding of meetings, the Secretary shall issue notices of all regular meetings and, on the authorization of the Chair, of all special meetings, and shall have custody of the minutes and other records of the Board of Trustees. With the approval of a majority of the Board of Trustees, the Secretary may delegate any of these responsibilities to the Library Director.

d) Duties of the Treasurer The Treasurer shall see that an accounting is kept of the library funds and shall report on the state of the funds at each meeting. The Treasurer shall perform such other duties as may be authorized by the Board of Trustees, or required by law, or appropriate to the duties of the office of Treasurer, unless these duties have been delegated by the Treasurer to members of the library staff.

Section 7. Committees The Board of Trustees may authorize committees as are deemed necessary. The committees shall report recommendations to the Board of Trustees for appropriate action.

ARTICLE IIIMEETINGS

Section 1. Organizational Meeting The Board of Trustees shall hold its organizational meeting at its first meeting of the calendar year. In the organizational meeting, the Board of Trustees shall elect officers of the Board of Trustees and shall adopt a regular monthly meeting schedule setting forth the dates, times, and places of the meetings for the coming year.

Section 2. Regular Meetings The regular meetings of the Northville District Library Board of Trustees shall be held each month. Notice of the regular meetings shall be posted at appropriate locations within ten (10) days of the organizational meeting. Any changes in this schedule shall be posted, as required by law.

Section 3. Special Meetings Special meetings may be called by the Chair or upon written request of two Trustees. Notice of the date, time, and place of the special meeting must be posted and available to the public for eighteen (18) hours prior to the meeting. The announcement of a special meeting at any meeting at which a quorum of Trustees is present shall be sufficient notice of such meeting for those Trustees present. Trustees not present at the time of announcement of such special meeting shall be notified by the Secretary.

Section 4. Meetings Open to Public All meetings of the Board shall be conducted in accordance with the Open Meetings Act and shall be held in a place available to the general public.

Section 5. Public Participation at Open Board of Trustees Meetings A person shall be permitted to address an open meeting of the Board of Trustees under the rules established and recorded in Board of Trustees policy. These rules shall be available for public inspection at each open meeting.

Section 6. Quorum and Voting Requirements A quorum for the transaction of business shall consist of four (4) members of the Board of Trustees. Any Board of Trustees action, to be official, must be approved by a majority of the Board of Trustees present, unless approval by two-thirds (2/3) of the Board of Trustees is required by law.

Section 7. Agenda The Library Director shall distribute to each Board of Trustees member, prior to each meeting, appropriate materials concerning items on the agenda. The agenda shall contain the order of business. It shall be compiled by the Director in cooperation with the Board of Trustees Chair and shall include a period of time when the public may speak to the Board of Trustees. Other Board of Trustees members may request items to be placed on the agenda. The Board of Trustees, by majority vote, must adopt or may amend the agenda.

A request by the public to place an item on the Board of Trustees agenda must be made to the Director or Chair at least seven (7) days in advance of the meeting in which it is desired to have the item discussed. The request should include a brief statement of the matter to be brought before the Board of Trustees along with any background information available, which may be provided to the Board of Trustees in advance of the meeting. The Director, in consultation with the Chair, shall determine whether the matter is an appropriate agenda item for that meeting or for a future meeting. The Director shall notify the person making the request whether the item will be placed on the agenda. If the item is placed on the agenda, the person making the request shall be allowed a reasonable amount of time to present or discuss the issue.

The following items will constitute the agenda for regular meetings:

Call to order and attendance Approval of agenda Approval of minutes Citizens' comments Library Director's report Friends’ report Financial report, including approval of bills Committee reports Other business Board member comments Adjournment

ARTICLE IVRULES OF ORDER

Board of Trustees meetings shall be conducted using commonly recognized parliamentary procedure. The presiding officer of the Board of Trustees shall act as the decision-maker in parliamentary procedure, subject to reversal by a majority of the Board of Trustees.

ARTICLE VAMENDMENTS

These by laws may be amended at any regular meeting of the Board of Trustees by a majority vote of all Trustees, provided the amendment was presented in writing at the previous regular meeting.

Revised by the Board of Trustees June 24, 1999. Reaffirmed by the Board of Trustees November 18, 2004 Revised by the Board of Trustees August 25, 2011 Revised by the Board of Trustees November 17, 2011

By: Mike DeFranceso Its: Secretary

Appeals to the Board of Trustees

Policy on Appeals to the Board of Trustees

The Northville District Library, in its effort to serve the community, will consider written appeals from citizens who have concerns with decisions and/or actions of library staff.

Such concerns should be submitted in written form to the Library Director. They will be answered, in writing, by the Library Director, or designee, within fourteen (14) days of the date such correspondence was received.

An individual wishing to appeal the Director’s response may request formal consideration by the Board of Trustees. To do this, he or she should submit a written request to the Library Director within fourteen (14) days of receiving the Director’s response. The appeal will then be placed on the agenda for the next regularly scheduled Board of Trustees Meeting. The individual making the request must personally attend that Board of Trustees Meeting and may make a statement in support of his or her position. The Board of Trustees may request that a parent or guardian accompany a minor.

The Board of Trustees may affirm, modify, or reject the Director’s decision.

The decision of the Northville District Library Board of Trustees is final.

Approved by the Board of Trustees July 22, 1999 Reaffirmed by the Board of Trustees Nov. 18, 2004 Reaffirmed by the Board of Trustees June 23, 2011

Citizen Comment at Library Board of Trustees Meetings

Policy on Citizen Comment at Library Board of Trustees Meetings

The purpose of this policy is to provide for the orderly conducting of District Library Board of Trustees Meetings while, at the same time, providing adequate opportunity for citizens to offer their opinions and views regarding their library and its programs.

The Northville District Library Board of Trustees shall allow time, immediately following the approval of minutes, for citizen comment regarding non-agenda items of interest or personal concern to them.

Citizens wishing to address a specific agenda item will be given the opportunity to do so when that item is before the Board of Trustees for discussion and prior to a vote being called.

Citizens normally will be given a maximum of five (5) minutes to address any agenda item or to express their views during the citizen comment period.

The Chair will have the responsibility to insure that this policy is followed.

Approved by the Board of Trustees June 24, 1999 Reaffirmed by the Board of Trustees Nov. 18, 2004 Reaffirmed by the Board of Trustees June 23, 2011

Policy on Freedom of Information Act

Policy on Freedom of Information Act

The Northville District Library will ensure that all persons are granted full and complete information regarding the affairs of the Northville District Library as provided by the Michigan Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), MCLA 15.231 et.seq.

The Library Director shall be designated the Northville District Library FOIA Coordinator.

FOIA requests shall be processed according to the requirements of MCLA 15.231 et.seq.

The Library may charge a fee for copying, search, examination, review or redaction of public records, as allowed by the Michigan Freedom of Information Act.

Approved by the Board of Trustees Aug. 26, 1999 Reaffirmed by the Board of Trustees May 26, 2005 Revised by the Board of Trustees December 20, 2012

BOARD OF TRUSTEES CODE OF ETHICS

Trustees who are elected/appointed to the Library Board are expected to perform all of the functions of library trustees.

Trustees must avoid situations in which personal interests might be served or financial benefits gained at the expense of library users, colleagues, or the institution. It is incumbent upon any trustee to disqualify himself or herself immediately whenever the appearance of conflict of interest exists.

Trustees must distinguish clearly in their actions and statements between their personal philosophies and attitudes and those of the institution, acknowledging the formal position of the Board even if they personally disagree.

A trustee must respect the confidential nature of library business while being aware of and in compliance with applicable laws governing freedom of information.

Trustees shall not become employed by the Northville District Library or receive any compensation for services rendered.

No immediate family member of a trustee shall become employed by the Northville District Library while that trustee holds office. Immediate family member is defined as a spouse, civil union partner, domestic partner, or the parent, child, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, grandparent, grandchild, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, stepparent, stepchild, stepbrother, stepsister, half-brother or half-sister, of the individual or of the individual’s spouse, civil union partner or domestic partner, by blood, marriage, or adoption.

Approved by Board of Trustees October 26, 2000 Reaffirmed by the Board of Trustees May 26, 2005 Revision approved by the Board of Trustees November 17, 2011

Policy on Conduct in the Library

Policy on Conduct in the Library

The purpose of this policy is to protect the rights of individuals who are in the Library to use Library materials and/or services, to protect the rights of staff members to conduct Library business without interference, and to preserve Library materials and facilities. Therefore, the Board of Trustees prohibits the following activities within the Library or on Library property without prior approval:

- participating in activities not generally associated with the use of a public library; - damaging Library materials, furniture, equipment, or any other real or personal property; - annoying others through noisy or offensive behavior; - consuming or openly possessing food, except as authorized in Meeting Rooms; - consuming beverages from open (non-covered) containers; - smoking or otherwise using tobacco products; - using or acting under the influence of alcohol or drugs; - engaging in any illegal activity; - appearing without a shirt or shoes; - bringing animals other than service dogs into the building; - using recreational equipment, such as roller blades, skateboards, roller skates or bicycles; - soliciting, campaigning, or petitioning; - removing Library materials that have not been checked out; - carrying or brandishing firearms or other weapons, to the extent that such act interfere with or inhibit any Library patrons in their opportunity for reasonable use of the Library or unreasonably interferes with the staff’s performance of their duties.; - using cell phones in other than designated areas.

An individual who violates this policy may be required to leave the premises and may forfeit his/her Library privileges. Library employees reserve the right to request identification (name, address, and phone number) and to call the Northville Police. An individual whose Library privileges have been denied may appeal the decision to the Board. Individuals are monetarily responsible for any damage done to library property. Parents or legal guardians are responsible for any damage done by their children.

Approved by the Board of Trustees Nov. 20, 1997 Revised and approved by the Board of Trustees Jan.23, 2003 Revised and approved by the Board of Trustees Dec. 20, 2007 Revised and approved by the Board of Trustees June 26, 2008 Reaffirmed by the Board of Trustees May 25, 2011 Revised and Approved by the Board of Trustees January 23, 2014